The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is moving to secure permission to build a skywalk linking the hospitals along Ratchawithi Road.
Bangkok deputy governor Wisanu Subsompon said the skywalk would link Rajavithi Hospital, Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health, the Institute of Dermatology, Phramongkutklao Hospital and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases to the BTS Skytrain system.
As the land on which the hospitals were built belongs to the Treasury Department, so the BMA must secure the department’s approval before it can proceed, Mr Wisanu said.
The skywalk, which would start at Victory Monument and end at Rama VI Road, will require construction sites to be set up next to the hospitals, which will affect traffic flow in some areas.
“Once work is complete, people will be able to commute on the BTS to any of the hospitals on Ratchawithi Road without having to walk at street level, where there are many intersections and lots of traffic,” Mr Wisanu said.
The Public Works Department is expected to finalise the design of the skywalk this year. The department and the Urban Design and Development Center recently held a public hearing on the skywalk and received positive feedback, he added.